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Garnet
Garnet Price level: [ what's this? ] Garnet technically refers to a family of gemstones that come in every color of the rainbow except for blue. The gemstone that we usually mean when we say “garnet” is the almandite or pyrope garnet which comes in deep shades of red. The properties that make garnet a wonderful gemstone are its very high luster (ability to reflect light almost like mirror) and range of very strong colors. Red garnets are not especially rare so quality peices can be had quite affordably. 6 Things You Should Know Before Buying a Garnet Color: The most important information you need when choosing a garnet is the range of colors. Garnets are available in nearly every color of the rainbow except for blue. The most common color of garnet is dark red, which can be very affordable. More rarer types of garnets include oranges and greens which can be very expensive. See some pictures and learn more about How COLOR affects the value of a garnet Clarity: The second most important characteristic that determines the value of a garnet is its clarity. Garnets that are difficult to see through or have many internal flaws (called inclusions) are less valuable than garnets that are perfectly clear. Learn more about How CLARITY affects the value of a garnet Cut: What distinguishes a good garnet gemstone from an amazing garnet gemstone is often how well it’s cut. A perfect cut reflects a lot of light and shows a lot of sparkle. Look at pictures and learn more about How CUT affects the value of a garnet Size: Another factor that affects the value of a garnet is its size. Garnets don’t usually come inv ery large sizes (usually under 3 or 4 carats), so small differences in size can affect the price. See how different garnet sizes compare and How SIZE affects the value of a garnet Meaning and Symbology: Garnet is the birthstone of the month of January and has many healing and beneficial properties. Learn more about garnet meaning and symbology to see if it’s something you relate to. The Most Valuable Red Garnet The most valuable garnets are a strong bright red or raspberry red. They are perfectly clear (no inclusions) and perfectly cut. They are also large (over 3 carats). The garnet (pronounced /ˈɡɑrnɨt/) group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus ("grain"), possibly a reference to the Punica granatum ("pomegranate"), a plant with red seeds similar in shape, size, and color to some garnet crystals. Six common species of garnet are recognized by their chemical composition. They are pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular (varieties of which are hessonite or cinnamon-stone and tsavorite), uvarovite and andradite. The garnets make up two solid solution series: pyrope-almandine-spessarite and uvarovite-grossular-andradite. Properties Garnets species are found in many colors including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, pink and colorless. The rarest of these is the blue garnet, discovered in the late 1990s in Bekily, Madagascar. It is also found in parts of the United States, Russia and Turkey. It changes color from blue-green in the daylight to purple in incandescent light, as a result of the relatively high amounts of vanadium (about 1 wt.% V2O3). Other varieties of color-changing garnets exist. In daylight, their color ranges from shades of green, beige, brown, gray, and blue, but in incandescent light, they appear a reddish or purplish/pink color. Because of their color changing quality, this kind of garnet is often mistaken for Alexandrite. A sample showing the deep red color garnet can exhibit. Garnet species’s light transmission properties can range from the gemstone-quality transparent specimens to the opaque varieties used for industrial purposes as abrasives. The mineral’s luster is categorized as vitreous (glass-like) or resinous (amber-like). editCrystal structure Molecular model of garnet. Garnets are nesosilicates having the general formula X3Y2(Si O4)3. The X site is usually occupied by divalent cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+) and the Y site by trivalent cations (Al3+, Fe3+, Cr3+) in an octahedral/tetrahedral framework with SiO44− occupying the tetrahedra.2 Garnets are most often found in the dodecahedral crystal habit, but are also commonly found in the trapezohedron habit. (Note: the word "trapezohedron" as used here and in most mineral texts refers to the shape called a Deltoidal icositetrahedron in solid geometry.) They crystallize in the cubic system, having three axes that are all of equal length and perpendicular to each other. Garnets do not show cleavage, so when they fracture under stress, sharp irregular pieces are formed. editHardness Because the chemical composition of garnet varies, the atomic bonds in some species are stronger than in others. As a result, this mineral group shows a range of hardness on the Mohs Scale of about 6.5 to 7.5. The harder species, like almandine, are often used for abrasive purposes.